fireball Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 before and after vinegar bath and a wire wheel / brush, no sandpaper or grinders used. it's a 1898 87# us made full forged base steel plate. did a 1 1/2'' BB test looks to be about 90 - 95% rebound same as the 200# HB under it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 That "cleaned up right nice"...ready for the Saturday night dance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anachronist58 Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Did you apply something to prevent further rusting? Looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 What with the stamping over/under the common TRENTON? I have never seen that. Did you wire wheel it first? A friend has one that is heavy on rust and deep pitting. Poor old thing. He would like to clean it up. So how many gallons of vinegar to cover a 155 pound Trenton............? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireball Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share Posted May 2, 2017 10 hours ago, arkie said: That "cleaned up right nice"...ready for the Saturday night dance! haha yup 9 hours ago, Anachronist58 said: Did you apply something to prevent further rusting? Looks great! just some WD40 will do a boiled linseed oil soon 9 hours ago, SReynolds said: What with the stamping over/under the common TRENTON? I have never seen that. Did you wire wheel it first? A friend has one that is heavy on rust and deep pitting. Poor old thing. He would like to clean it up. So how many gallons of vinegar to cover a 155 pound Trenton............? it says ''solid wrot'' ''Trenton'' ''USA'' ''87'' go to walmart and buy 3-4 gallons of vinegar and a big rubber tote put the anvil in there add the vinegar then water till you cover the anvil. let sit 24 hrs take a wire wheel to it, then wash it with baking soda to kill the vinegar so it dose not keep eating it. good luck. take some pic's before and after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Let me put it another way, when you purchased your NEW CAR or NEW TRUCK, would you expect to have it coated with boiled linseed oil instead of paint? If boiled linseed oil were all that great for an anvil, the anvil would come coated with boiled linseed oil from the factory. Most anvils were painted at the factory, and the paint has survived for the life of the anvil. Look into your options for preserving the metal. There are many metal paints (clear or otherwise) that will protect the metal surface very well. May want to look at a marine type paint as it is formulated to withstand harsh salt water conditions. As to the paint color, personally I prefer plaid, or at least the family tartan. (grin). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Aiaiai ... painting an anvil. Checkered black and white? Also ... putty up and sand all those funny scratches and markings for the spray paint to be nice and smooth. Full restoration complete and back to factory standards ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Sure 'nough. Thanks. I will pass that along to him. I have never bought nor cleaned a heavily rusty anvil. I have had to clean them with wire wheel. I dont like paint as it chips off and exposes the light colored steel when you use the anvil. Then it gives a "fake, plastic appearance" to the anvil. I have never tried linseed oil on steel. I dont understand doing that. WD 40 evaporates and the steel rusts. The only solution I have been happy with is to clean and paint the body with matte black. Allow to dry a bit and wipe anvil body with a wrag/paint thinner to remove some paint. Leaving paint in the depressions. Then I will later oil it with engine oil. Gives a well weathered appearance. I should shoot a pic of an anvil I have prepared in such a manner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommytaptap Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 In my experience, I have found that the most superior and long lasting finish for a cleaned anvil i.e. showing no rust- is to rub it all over with a bar/bars of beeswax and then gently heat that with a gas blow lamp flame until the wax melts and fills all the voids.(apart from the face which I just wipe with an oily rag.) Once its cooled and dried for a few days,it's a great finish. I did several pieces with it over a year ago and still no signs of oxidisation and the parts are not at all sticky to the touch. Here is a mild steel ladle that had the treatment last spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Never tried warmed over bees wax on anvil. Metal projects for sure. I'll try that some time. Pic of anvil I have painted and oiled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Note that old time oil based paints were basically boiled linseed oil and colouring material. If you are using just BLO; you are painting it just without the colouring medium. What we think looks good can be quite different than what people used to think looks good---just think of clothing, are many of us forging in a vest and tie like some of the old photo's? Manufacturers then were like Manufacturers now and looking for the cheapest way they could get acceptable results---remember the Model T where you could get it in any colour you wanted as long as it was black...Black was a cheap easy to use colour---carbon black. Like red barns were red because iron oxide was a *cheap* colour that had good lasting properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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